<p>I have read a bit on both Deism and Pantheism and find both very interesting.
Can anyone tell me some major differences/conflicting points between the two?</p>
<p>I find my personally leaning towards Pantheism,
but then on Wikipedia there’s a line
“There are disagreements as to whether Pantheism is atheistic or not. Atheists argue the non-theistic god of pantheism is not a god (according to the traditional definition),[16] while others suggest a deity is not necessarily transcendent.[17]”
So I’m kinda back to square one. I guess I’d say I follow more of a set of beliefs then a “religion”.</p>
<ol>
<li>At what age did you lose your faith, if you had any and why?
5th or 6th grade. And my “faith” only consisted of assuming God existed because everyone else seemed to believe so</li>
<li>What do your parents feel about it (how did they react when they found out)?
They think I should be more open minded to religion, but they don’t really care that much</li>
<li>And how do you deal with the inevitability of death?
I don’t really care about death. I’m afraid of pain, though, so the process of dying scares me. But that would be applicable regardless of my faith.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>At what age did you lose your faith, if you had any and why?</li>
</ol>
<p>I was never religious, but I made the decision while at church with one of my friends(oh, the irony) when I was 15.</p>
<ol>
<li>What do your parents feel about it (how did they react when they found out)?</li>
</ol>
<p>They are convinced that I will eventually come to believe in God again , and took it rather lightly, which was a bit annoying, but whatever. They still make me say grace every night before dinner. The people that were most surprised, however, were my friends. They give me hell about it very often, and constantly tell me that they “feel sorry for me”. I could rant on and on about this topic, but I shall spare you ;).</p>
<ol>
<li>And how do you deal with the inevitability of death? (depresses me)</li>
</ol>
<p>I think that this is the reason why I thought I believed in God. I didnt want to die and I wanted to be able to see my friends and family that had passed away again. Once I pondered this idea, I decided that it was not a good enough reason for me to believe in God. . So I just deal with the idea that one day I just won’t be here. Not really big deal to me; it happens to everyone.</p>
<p>I’m answering for people I know because I’m bored.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>At what age did you lose your faith, if you had any and why?
Most of them never had any. If their parents were theists, they were very, very secular ones who rarely went to church or temple, or they grew up in an atheist society. They might have gone to services every once and a while for cultural reasons or because, well, one of them went to a church that sounds like it had really fun activities for children, but they were never encouraged to believe in anything.
My sister, among them and among her friends, is the weird one because she actually got baptized of her own will and, like me, had a very good religious education as a child. Actually, she was way better at remembering all of it. She was wavering by, maybe 11.</p></li>
<li><p>What do your parents feel about it (how did they react when they found out)?
Following logically from the above, most of the parents couldn’t care less. They weren’t religious, they didn’t expect their children to be. My mother doesn’t actually believe my sister isn’t Christian, and my father is one of those couldn’t care less types, though he did make us go to church when we were little.</p></li>
<li><p>And how do you deal with the inevitability of death? (depresses me)
Quite a few of my friends don’t seem to think about this at all. Maybe because no one they loved has ever died. One of them who does think about mortality holds mostly to a nihilistic philosophy, which guides his views on the subject. I read something he wrote when something horrible and inevitable, but not as final as death, happened, and though it was still nihilistic, he had some thoughts on fate tripping him up.
I wonder, sometimes, about my sister, mostly because one of my strongest early memories is her telling me, with both of us in tears, that this death was okay because there was a heaven and it was like this verse and that verse. But there have been times when I’ve found an atheistic perception of death more comforting, and she agreed with me, so I suppose she thinks something like that, though it sort of bothers her that, according to her beliefs, everyone’s faith isn’t true in the end.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>At what age did you lose your faith, if you had any and why?
Around 10th grade. I was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic church and even went to youth group. I lost my faith because I am the type of person who needs proof. I started realizing the Catholic church has all these superstitious things. Like if you wear a certain necklace when you die you will go to heaven. also how SOME religious people are very ignorant and do not accept evolution or even gay people. It kind of freaked me out. It is like they are living their lives worshiping Gods just because they were told to do so and they never really think or consider other views.</p></li>
<li><p>What do your parents feel about it (how did they react when they found out)?
Well my mom used to be bad but Christianity changed her life and she finally stopped her addictions. Now my mom wants to make me go to church and my whole step family is super religious and my step grandma thinks if I don’t accept Jesus I am going to hell. She wants me to before I leave to college, but I really don’t want to. </p></li>
<li><p>And how do you deal with the inevitability of death?
I get scared sometimes of not living anymore and sometimes I do get scared that if death is just like an endless sleep I will never even know I existed. I really do hope we are like spirits or something but I just really don’t know and I guess no one does.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I am a theist Agnostic most of the time. And if there is a God, I hope he is the one described in Deism.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>13, 8th grade. I never thought about religion as a child, really. Reciting Arabic that meant nothing to me, praying a few times a month in Indonesian-Muslim potlucks. Fasting for Ramadan. Meh. I just started to actually think in middle school. </p></li>
<li><p>My mother thinks I may go to Hell. My father describes himself as one who doesn’t believe in God, he just finds the creation of the universe complicated… he doesn’t care about my religious views. (He sure as hell isn’t Muslim.) My mother is a hypocrite-- she thinks my dad is going to Heaven. In fact, my mother thinks anyone who is good will go to Heaven. Gandhi, Mother Theresa. But not me. I don’t get her reasoning.</p></li>
<li><p>AngelSolis said it best. “I never think about death. I’m too young to realize my mortality.”</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>born into it</li>
<li>parents dont care much but worry about my morals and priorities.</li>
<li>Man created god. Man created heaven. its been done many many many times throughout history. I believe i can create my own version of heaven. WHen i die, i go to my version of heaven. Christianity, Judaism, Shintoism, Buddhism, and Islam cant all be right. That means u got a 4/5 chance of going to hell.</li>
</ol>
<p>^^^I don’t think the concept of hell really exists in Buddhism. For Buddhists, life is suffering, so if hell is suffering, then life is hell. At least you get multiple chances to escape it haha.</p>
<ol>
<li>I was never religious.</li>
<li>My parents are nonreligious.</li>
<li>I can’t do anything about it except do my best to live a healthy life, and I don’t worry about things I can’t control.</li>
</ol>
<p>For what it’s worth, I consider myself apathetic rather than atheist. I don’t actively disbelieve in a deity, I just don’t know and don’t really care. That’s something else I can’t really do anything about.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I was raised Roman Catholic. I don’t think lost my faith at any specific moment. I just started slowly disagreeing with certain things in the Church, one after another. I guess I officially come out to myself about a year ago.</p></li>
<li><p>My mom hates it. She figured it out herself when I told her I didn’t want to go to church anymore. (This was only about 6 months ago)
I don’t talk to my dad, but I don’t think he would care. He’s Jewish, but in name only. He doesn’t care about or practice Judaism. His family gets together for Passover and all that, but they’re pretty much indifferent.</p></li>
<li><p>I don’t care. It’s not like I’ll know I’m dead.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li> I was raised an atheist. I think it’s funny that people often assume that doesn’t happen.</li>
<li> My parents would probably be disappointed if I did believe in God or religion.</li>
<li> I don’t have to “deal” with it. It’ll be just like before I was born.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>Around 8th grade or so, but I never really had much “faith” in the first place. I only tried to be Christian in order to fit in. By 8th grade I just came to terms with the fact that I didn’t believe in any of it, and I hated what religion has done throughout history.</li>
<li>My dad’s pretty much a deist. He thought it was crazy that I didn’t believe in a god at all. My mom’s one of those “be Christian when it’s convenient” people. I’m not sure if she’s aware that I’m atheist, but it wouldn’t really matter either way. Basically, religion isn’t evident in my family, so my atheism isn’t an issue.</li>
<li>It’s the ~cirrrrrcle of liiiiife~</li>
</ol>
<p>I was agnostic for a period. I had never been extremely religious, but now I’m realizing agnosticism isn’t what I fall into. In my mind there are things that science can’t explain, and having faith fills those gaps.</p>
<p>
My friends in middle/high school were very religious, and their way of thinking was different from mine. I remember a conversation between two of my friends where they were both against women in politics because “the Bible says that the congress should be of men”. I realize that they aren’t the epitome of religion or Christianity, but they did deter me a little from religion.</p>
<p>
They were a little religious, but were not too surprised.</p>
<p>
Life is too short to think about depressing things. There’s only enough time to do what you love, and love the special people in your life.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Slow loss from 14-16. I was Christian (never really that into it though), but when I took bio and AP bio in high school, it just made me realize that there’s a lot that can’t be explained by religion. </p></li>
<li><p>I haven’t told my parents. They’re divorced, so I don’t ever live with them at the same time. I’m positive my dad is an atheist, like me, though he has never acknowledged it. We talk about science a lot, and it’s obvious he isn’t into religion. My mom is really religious though, and would be devastated; I’m never going to tell her. It’s easier.</p></li>
<li><p>I just enjoy life while I have it. And I’m really kind of excited to donate my body to science when I die; I like to think that my body can still have adventures even while I don’t and maybe one day, a plant would use nutrients from my body to grow or something. I think that’d be pretty cool.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>I was raised to believe in god and even went to a Christian preschool, but nothing was drilled into me. I prayed for certain things, things that Christians claim god can and should help me with, until about Sophomore year (I’m a rising Senior). Shockingly, my prayers were never answered, which discredited the possibility of an interventionalist god. </li>
<li>My dad doesn’t know, he thinks it’s foolish to not believe in god. My mom thinks I’m an agnostic.</li>
<li>Honestly, eternal life scares me more than death. I think death is much like being unconscious. You simply will no longer be cognisant, and I’m fine with that.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>Raised without a religion, but not necessarily atheist/agnostic. My parents barely observe Buddhism. I just never felt like it was logically sound a god existed. I questioned “Him” when I was 8.</p></li>
<li><p>My parents think the existence of a god is ridiculous. But there’s some type of Buddhist thing in the afterlife, maybe. (Mom, at least.)</p></li>
<li><p>There’s nothing I can do about it, so why worry?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>** 1. At what age did you lose your faith, if you had any and why? **</p>
<p>My family was never really religious. Technically, we are Christians (Presbyterians). However, due to various sports scheduling conflicts we never ended up going to church on Sundays.</p>
<p>I lost my religion in 8th grade. I would classify myself as a hopeful agnostic. My point of view is as followed:</p>
<p>1) Religion can be dangerous (crusades, 9/11)
2) Religion is illogical
3) There is not enough evidence either way to make me believe in one thing
4) I believe that humans might not be capable enough to understand the mysteries of the origins of the universe.</p>
<p>That being said, I am somewhat on the atheist side of agnosticism, if that makes any sense. I believe in science and truth. I am just not sure if there is enough research to sway my decision.</p>
<p>Look at physics. Most of the things we are learning in Chem and Physics class are concepts that have only recently (in the grand scheme of time) been introduced. If we can change paradigms in only 60 years, who knows what we will know about a greater being 100 years from now. Are we ready to make a decision?</p>
<p>** 2. What do your parents feel about it (how did they react when they found out)? **</p>
<p>My mom hates it. She believes in God. Her argument is that religion gives people a reason to live. My dad laughs at religion. Hes a hardcore atheist.</p>
<p>** 3. And how do you deal with the inevitability of death? (depresses me) **</p>
<p>Death is a trip that we all have to take someday (Dumbledore said that). If I go to some “afterlife” I’m sure it will be interesting. However, I am perfectly fine with decomposing. Sometimes in the middle of the night I freak out about it…</p>
<p>I consider myself agnostic - I don’t deny nor can I really say for sure the existence of God, but I am cynical of man’s organization of religion. </p>
<ol>
<li>At what age did you lose your faith, if you had any and why? </li>
</ol>
<p>Like this year. I mean, I grew up in a pretty religious household although deeply divided (b/c my mom and dad believed in different gods), so it was always just a weird situation for me. I admit, religion did mean a lot to me at one point life. Somewhere along the lines, I started questioning everything and my faith really began slipping. This year, in my World Literature class, we talked about a lot of cultures and then finally, existentialism and it just made a whole a lot of sense. </p>
<ol>
<li>What do your parents feel about it (how did they react when they found out)? </li>
</ol>
<p>Um, they don’t know?</p>
<ol>
<li>And how do you deal with the inevitability of death? (depresses me) </li>
</ol>
<p>I was thinking about this today on the train and to be honest, it’s just something I have naturally accepted. After all, it is inevitable and it’s just the way nature works. I’m okay with there not being a heaven (or hell for that matter). It just makes me want to live life the possible way I can.</p>
and maybe one day, a plant would use nutrients from my body to grow or something. I think that’d be pretty cool.</p></li>